-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's one of the smallest countries in Africa , and one of the poorest in the world , but Burundi is showing the way in the development of tennis on the continent .

Ravaged by civil war since gaining independence in the 1960s , its relative recent political stability has helped it embrace a sport that is battling to maintain its foothold in the planet 's second-largest land space .

Africa has not produced a grand slam singles finalist since Kevin Curren at the 1985 Wimbledon Championships , while Wayne Ferreira reached the semis of the Australian Open for the second time in 2003 and former world No. 3 Amanda Coetzer was similarly successful in ' 96-97 .

Kevin Anderson is currently the continent 's top-ranked player at No. 35 , and yet another South African -- Chanelle Scheepers -- is its top woman at 92nd .

But the future may lie in a country which is rebuilding itself after conflicts which saw more than half a million people killed and mass migrations of its fleeing population .

Burundi will soon open Africa 's third high-performance tennis center , after Pretoria and Senegal 's Dakar , plus host a series of top age-group tournaments and an international event .

`` We would like every country in Africa to replicate the experience of Burundi , '' the International Tennis Federation 's development projects administrator Frank Couraud told CNN .

`` They are not rich , but they really wanted to have this center . I met everyone from the government -- the vice-president , the minister of sport , the Olympic committee . They value tennis very much . ''

It 's not an attitude that 's prevalent in Africa , where tennis ranks below sports such as football and athletics when it comes to government funding .

The ITF has three development officers across the continent and supports national tennis federations with equipment and skills programs aimed particularly at young children , but its resources are limited .

`` It 's very difficult to fight against football -- it 's the sport in Africa and they are doing so well , '' Couraud said . `` In a country like Kenya , if you speak to the Olympic committee for funding for coaches , they say our priorities are track and field because this is where we get the medals .

`` We need more funding . We would love to see the governments being more committed to developing the game . If you look at our budget -LRB- $ 4.3 million each year -RRB- it 's what -LRB- soccer 's ruling body -RRB- FIFA gives to maybe one or two nations . There 's a huge discrepancy . ''

Burundi has also produced a potential future star in Hassan Ndayishimiye .

The 17-year-old was included in the ITF 's grand slam team for Wimbledon this year and surprisingly made it to the second round of the boys ' singles .

Ranked only 112th in the juniors , he received a wildcard into the qualifying draw and beat three players well above him to progress into the main section .

It 's a small step , but has earned him a place in the team to tour North America ahead of September 's U.S. Open along with Madagascar 's Zarah Razafimahatratra -- who 's in her second year with the program .

With Tunisia 's Ons Jabeur winning the 2011 French Open junior girls ' title , having been runner-up in Paris last year , there are signs that the ITF 's development work in Africa is producing results .

`` We have to focus on these players who have got through the systems , who are very talented , who have big hearts , '' Couraud said . `` When you see Hassan or Zarah on the court they give 200 % , they work very hard . We give them the right opportunity now so one day they become professional tennis players -- and then suddenly other African kids will relate to these players .

`` When Yannick Noah won the French Open in 1983 , in Cameroon and many countries kids identified and wanted to play tennis because they saw Yannick winning . Even to have players in the top 100 on the professional circuit , I 'm sure this is going to have a positive effect . ''

But it 's a huge step from being a good junior to a successful professional , especially in a place where travel and equipment are more expensive than the U.S. or Europe .

`` If you want to buy equipment in Africa , sometimes a city does n't even have a sports shop that sells rackets . If they do , it 's three times the price in Europe , '' Couraud said .

The Frenchman estimated that a top-20 junior might have only a 50 % chance of making it -- and it could take at least four years to crack the top 100 in the seniors .

It can cost $ 70-80 ,000 a year to fund top coaching and tournament travel , so the best option for African players -- for those who have adequate schooling -- has traditionally been to win a college scholarship in the United States .

That was Anderson 's route , following the likes of compatriot Liezel Huber and Zimbabwe 's Black siblings Byron and Wayne -- who won grand slam titles in doubles events , as has their sister Cara .

`` It 's a very good option . One of the problems of being in South Africa is we 're pretty far from the tennis scene . The amount of flying you 're going to be doing , the expense of that is pretty high , '' Anderson told CNN .

`` Recently a lot of juniors have ended up going to college in the States . There are a lot of tournaments there , you can play a lot of matches in the spring and during the summer you can actually go and play in the professional tournaments . ''

The 25-year-old , now based in Chicago , won his first ATP Tour title in February at his home SA Open , which returned to the men 's circuit in 2009 after a 13-year absence .

He said the tournament has provided much-needed visibility for tennis in South Africa , where rugby , cricket , soccer and golf are dominant .

`` The toughest thing is a lack of quality exposure . A lot of South African players are pretty sheltered when they go out there for the first time , '' Anderson said .

`` For myself it took me quite a few years to feel completely comfortable , regardless of who I was playing . You do n't always know the person and it 's easy to build them up in your eyes . You 've got to play some guy who 's got two coaches and an administrator , and you 're there by yourself -- sometimes it 's pretty daunting . ''

While Anderson believes Africa needs more high-profile singles players like Curren , Ferreira and Coetzer to grow the game , his former compatriot Huber is not so sure that it will change the status quo .

Born in Durban , she went to the Van der Meer academy in Hilton Head , South Carolina , at the age of 15 in 1992 after being frustrated by her lack of opportunities back home .

`` I was already playing an age group up and winning those tournaments , and the federation did n't have any more money to send us anywhere , '' the U.S. citizen said .

`` It was an unfortunate time , it was around when apartheid ended , and if anything it should have been a time when South Africa got the boom , but really it was society trying to figure it out -- where do we stand , where do we fit in .

`` It was a confusing time . A lot of people were let go of their jobs and other people were hired and tennis in South Africa went through a dip there . ''

Huber was able to take up the academy place only after its owner Dennis van der Meer offered her a cut-price rate of $ 150 a week -- and even then her father had to beg the air fare from a local businessman .

`` In South Africa I do n't think they are looking at it as a business . That 's kind of what hurts the most , '' said the 34-year-old , who has won six grand slam doubles titles and been ranked No. 1 in the discipline .

`` When Wes Moodie and I won Wimbledon doubles titles in 2005 , I actually thought it would change tennis in South Africa . Nothing changed . Maybe there 's more important things to spend money on , maybe tennis is not important .

`` Maybe it 's more important for the government to build schools . I 'm not there so I 'm not sure why tennis is not getting funding . But it shows . ''

Her disappointment with the tennis authorities in her former homeland grew when they refused to pay for her plane ticket for an important Fed Cup teams match .

`` We had the opportunity to get back in the World Group -- and they did n't pay my ticket , '' said Huber , who has since represented the U.S. at the Olympics and in Fed Cup . `` We had Amanda Coetzer in the top-10 at the time , but having a good singles player did n't raise the profile . I do n't know what it will take . ''

Huber has sponsored an under-15 girls ' tournament in South Africa for almost a decade , and has offered to train players for free at the tennis ranch she runs in Texas with her husband Tony , but has been disappointed with the response from South African Tennis .

`` In four years we 've had three kids over . We were there -LRB- South Africa -RRB- in March and did a clinic for kids -- it was a big disappointment . We thought we might see the next Ferreira or Coetzer , but the talent was n't there , '' she said .

`` I thought it would be a huge event , wanting to give something back , but the organization just was n't there . I ended up using some of the balls I brought back from Australia . The facilities are the same as when I grew up . It 's an eye-opener that it has n't changed . ''

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African tennis is struggling to produce top-level professional players

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Aspiring stars face big obstacles if they are to establish themselves on tour

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One of the best ways is to win a college scholarship in the United States

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Otherwise African players are not exposed to top-level competition while they are young